For me, I woke up around 8, got ready around 1230, worked 1400-2200, went to bed around midnight. It's not 8 hours before work, but enough to ease into the day.
I think it's more about having a roof over your head while you are in the physically hardest years of your life. You're more vulnerable, have aches and pains, can't go out and get a good paying job. It's about feeling safe and secure in your last couple decades.
That's good, cause it's all we'll be able to afford in a few years.