This rings true with my experience. I typically wake up at 3.30-4am to get stuff done before the day starts. When I went back to university I was finding two major issues with doing work at night. 1, I was tired at night from a days work. 2, Intense mental activity at night kept me awake longer than I'd like.

After discussions with a friend I figured out I could just relax after work (which reduces stress) and wake up early to get my work done. It was the single best discovery I made in regards to improving my overall productivity.