diff --git a/src/threading/event.cpp b/src/threading/event.cpp
index 885e732c8..1b0c5ac07 100644
--- a/src/threading/event.cpp
+++ b/src/threading/event.cpp
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
 
 void Event::wait()
 {
-	MutexAutoLock lock(mutex);
+	std::unique_lock lock(mutex);
 	while (!notified) {
 		cv.wait(lock);
 	}
@@ -38,7 +38,9 @@ void Event::wait()
 
 void Event::signal()
 {
-	MutexAutoLock lock(mutex);
-	notified = true;
+	{
+		std::lock_guard lock(mutex);
+		notified = true;
+	}
 	cv.notify_one();
 }
diff --git a/src/threading/mutex_auto_lock.h b/src/threading/mutex_auto_lock.h
index c809ff8f5..9a2522557 100644
--- a/src/threading/mutex_auto_lock.h
+++ b/src/threading/mutex_auto_lock.h
@@ -26,5 +26,8 @@ DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
 #pragma once
 
 #include <mutex>
-using MutexAutoLock = std::unique_lock<std::mutex>;
-using RecursiveMutexAutoLock = std::unique_lock<std::recursive_mutex>;
+
+/// @deprecated use std::lock_guard directly
+using MutexAutoLock = std::lock_guard<std::mutex>;
+/// @deprecated use std::lock_guard directly
+using RecursiveMutexAutoLock = std::lock_guard<std::recursive_mutex>;
diff --git a/src/threading/thread.cpp b/src/threading/thread.cpp
index f9e356ab7..a4405287d 100644
--- a/src/threading/thread.cpp
+++ b/src/threading/thread.cpp
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ bool Thread::start()
 
 	// The mutex may already be locked if the thread is being restarted
 	// FIXME: what if this fails, or if already locked by same thread?
-	MutexAutoLock sf_lock(m_start_finished_mutex, std::try_to_lock);
+	std::unique_lock sf_lock(m_start_finished_mutex, std::try_to_lock);
 
 	try {
 		m_thread_obj = new std::thread(threadProc, this);
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ void Thread::threadProc(Thread *thr)
 
 	// Wait for the thread that started this one to finish initializing the
 	// thread handle so that getThreadId/getThreadHandle will work.
-	MutexAutoLock sf_lock(thr->m_start_finished_mutex);
+	std::unique_lock sf_lock(thr->m_start_finished_mutex);
 
 	thr->m_retval = thr->run();