I am curious which area the OP has been working on. I would say the work pressure is a function of the management, the requirements, and the sector where you work on. For example, mobile applications tend to have shorter release cycles, and therefore a much hectic schedule.
shorter release cycle doesn't have to be hectic; what makes it hectic is unreasonable number of features which is poor planing. You will end up coding 24/7 in cycle of any length if workload to deliver all in given time frame is greater than what you can deliver working only regular hours. That is poor planing regardless of sector and length of release cycle
