I currently fly under the Dutch Flight and Duty regulations. While staying well inside the requirements it is not unusual for both myself and my FO to have difficulty staying awake at 0500.
Flight and duty regs plainly have nothing to do with having well rested crews - as they totally fail to achieve this.
I have always assumed that they are just another typical piece of aviation politics whereby legislation is enacted to appear to do something while similtaneously achieving little or nothing.
Airlines constant lobbying against more effective regulations simply confirms their true position on safety verses economics.