diff --git a/arch/um/os-Linux/time.c b/arch/um/os-Linux/time.c
index 9ffc61a..d2cb161 100644
--- a/arch/um/os-Linux/time.c
+++ b/arch/um/os-Linux/time.c
@@ -12,8 +12,6 @@
 #include "os.h"
 #include "user.h"
 
-static int is_real_timer = 0;
-
 int set_interval(void)
 {
 	int usec = 1000000/UM_HZ;
@@ -41,47 +39,15 @@
 	return 0;
 }
 
-void disable_timer(void)
+unsigned long long disable_timer(void)
 {
-	struct itimerval disable = ((struct itimerval) { { 0, 0 }, { 0, 0 }});
+	struct itimerval time = ((struct itimerval) { { 0, 0 }, { 0, 0 } });
 
-	if ((setitimer(ITIMER_VIRTUAL, &disable, NULL) < 0) ||
-	    (setitimer(ITIMER_REAL, &disable, NULL) < 0))
+	if(setitimer(ITIMER_VIRTUAL, &time, &time) < 0)
 		printk(UM_KERN_ERR "disable_timer - setitimer failed, "
 		       "errno = %d\n", errno);
-}
 
-int switch_timers(int to_real)
-{
-	struct itimerval disable = ((struct itimerval) { { 0, 0 }, { 0, 0 }});
-	struct itimerval enable;
-	int old, new, old_type = is_real_timer;
-
-	if(to_real == old_type)
-		return to_real;
-
-	if (to_real) {
-		old = ITIMER_VIRTUAL;
-		new = ITIMER_REAL;
-	}
-	else {
-		old = ITIMER_REAL;
-		new = ITIMER_VIRTUAL;
-	}
-
-	if (setitimer(old, &disable, &enable) < 0)
-		printk(UM_KERN_ERR "switch_timers - setitimer disable failed, "
-		       "errno = %d\n", errno);
-
-	if((enable.it_value.tv_sec == 0) && (enable.it_value.tv_usec == 0))
-		enable.it_value = enable.it_interval;
-
-	if (setitimer(new, &enable, NULL))
-		printk(UM_KERN_ERR "switch_timers - setitimer enable failed, "
-		       "errno = %d\n", errno);
-
-	is_real_timer = to_real;
-	return old_type;
+	return tv_to_nsec(&time.it_value);
 }
 
 unsigned long long os_nsecs(void)
@@ -92,11 +58,13 @@
 	return timeval_to_ns(&tv);
 }
 
-void idle_sleep(int secs)
-{
-	struct timespec ts;
+extern void alarm_handler(int sig, struct sigcontext *sc);
 
-	ts.tv_sec = secs;
-	ts.tv_nsec = 0;
-	nanosleep(&ts, NULL);
+void idle_sleep(unsigned long long nsecs)
+{
+	struct timespec ts = { .tv_sec	= nsecs / BILLION,
+			       .tv_nsec = nsecs % BILLION };
+
+	if (nanosleep(&ts, &ts) == 0)
+		alarm_handler(SIGVTALRM, NULL);
 }