I remember seeing a post by someone over at Long Hair Community at Network 54 linking a site which said that hair grows most actively during the day, morning to mid-afternoon. [If you have not visited the Long Hair Community, please do. Shawnee's site is wonderful, and all the associated hair boards.]
Frankly, I think that hair grows to a certain degree during waking and sleeping hours. However, I feel that the most active time is when your temperature is at its apex. If I am not mistaken, the peak of the average person's temperature is between 4-10pm. It's like you rise and your temp is low, then it steadily increases until about noon, when you have a drop. Then, it increases during the period I mentioned, and falls off during what you would anticipate is bedtime.
I think this makes some sense in view of what they say about hair growth activity when you have a fever. By way of analogy, if you do not provide the nutrients which your body is losing when you have a fever, the hair growth can actually be quite weak. You can even lose hair unnecessarily. With no fever, just your average day, I think that's why many have positive results not just hair wise, but entire body wise, when they add nutrients in the evening hours....the low or quiet body activity time, including sleep time. You are fueling up for the later performance of the day to come.
Cheers,
Jade