“Wake up early” culture is dumb. The early person’s “I’m already working while you’re still asleep” can easily be flipped to the night person’s “I’m still working while you’re asleep.” The most productive thing to do is to sleep and work when it works best for you.
It might just be correlation to discipline due to it being more difficult for younger people. Older people or those who culturally wake up early don’t have this as a signal. You’re right in that # of hours is # of hours though.