As an athlete and a mom, I spend a lot of time thinking about performance—on the trail, in training, and at home. I strive to show up as my best self: as a mother, a partner, and a professional. But without adequate sleep—arguably the most important recovery tool—I feel the effects almost instantly. A rough night bleeds into everything: parenting, my relationship with Jason, my work, and my training.
Central Oregon summers make quality rest a challenge. The sun rises early, the heat kicks in by noon, and I’m naturally an early riser. Once the light hit our bedroom, I’d be up—no matter how late I went to bed, my eyes would snap open at 5 a.m. with the first glow of dawn.
That all changed when we installed the SmartWings Zebra 90% blackout blinds and the Cellular Blackout Shades.
Why We Needed a Change
Don’t get me wrong—I love waking up early before everyone else. It’s my quiet time to stretch, center myself, and ease into the day. But when my youngest started waking up with the sun too—day after day—I could see how dysregulating it was for both of us. He wasn’t getting enough sleep, and honestly, neither was I.
In the book Good to Go, author Christie Aschwanden dives into the science of recovery tools—Normatec boots, massage, ice baths, infrared sauna’s —and calls most of them ineffective. The one method she consistently champions? Sleep and rest. Quality, consistent, restorative sleep is number one by a landslide when she compared it to a whole host of recovery tools and supplements.
As much as I loved our old blinds for letting natural light stream in, I started to realize they were actually hurting our overall well-being. Sometimes, especially in the chaos of summer, what we really need is a cool, dark space to nap, unwind, or simply rest. That mid-afternoon cocoon can make a huge difference—for kids and grownups alike. It’s like telling your system “it’s ok, it’s time to rest.” For me and my youngest, we will run ourselves into the ground if it’s light out. Maybe it’s the Alaskan in me, where if it was light out, you played because winter and darkness was going to come around again in no time! So, after reading and researching about the benefits of blackout shades, it was time to give it a try.
What We Chose: Zebra & Blackout Cellular Shades
We went with SmartWings Zebra Shades in our main living spaces—light-filtering, blackout-capable, and super stylish—and Cellular Blackout Shades in the bedrooms for full-on sleep mode. Both types are remote-controlled, which I love. But if you want to get fancy, you can opt for the upgrade that allows the motor to sync with an app on your phone or integrate with Apple HomeKit or Google Home.
If you’re the smart-home type, you can say things like, “Alexa, shut the blinds,” or schedule them to open with your alarm or the sunrise. But call me old-school—there’s something deeply satisfying about pressing a button on a remote. The moment I hit “close,” my whole body starts to relax. It’s like signaling to myself: you can rest now. We keep it simple—one remote for all the living room blinds, another for the bedrooms—so it’s easy for everyone in the family to use.
The Zebra Shades are especially fun because you can filter in soft light during the day or pull them fully down for blackout mode. While they’re not as insulating as the cellular shades in the bedrooms, they still help regulate temperature and block UV rays—especially on those blazing-hot afternoons when the sun is pouring in.
The Cellular Shades, on the other hand, are thermal champs. Their honeycomb design insulates really well, keeping the bedrooms cool in summer and warm in winter. Total game-changer for better sleep.
Installation:
I’ll admit it: I’m not the type to read every step of the instructions (who is?), but even I found these easy to install. With a little help from a friend and my husband, it took about 2–3 hours total—including removing our old blinds and putting up the new ones. Each shade comes with pre-set brackets and is already paired to a remote. They’re also programmed to stop at your custom length—thanks to the measurements you enter when ordering. And once we actually followed the pairing instructions, syncing the remotes was super straightforward.
Here’s a little video of the Zebra shades doing their thing:
What Changed: Sleep, Sanity, and Summer Bliss
Since installing the SmartWings shades a month ago, we’ve:
- Slept an hour later in the mornings—no joke. It’s been a total sleep upgrade for the kids and us.
- Created a true afternoon chill zone— we can make it a dark and much cooler in a matter of minutes.
- Hosted a few mid-day summer movie sessions with our projector and screen, which never could have happened with out these blackout shades.
- Noticed a big drop in inside temps—our home stays cooler without running our AC all day.
- Has completely upgraded the look and feel of our living room thanks to the elegant look of the zebra shades
It’s one of those sneaky and surprising home upgrades that quietly does its job every day—and we feel the difference.
Final Thoughts: Small Tech, Big Impact
If you’re an endurance parent, you already know how hard it can be to find true rest. Recovery isn’t just about the gear we use outside—it’s also about creating an environment inside that supports the lifestyle we live.
These shades felt like a luxury at first, but now they feel like essential recovery gear.
Whether you go remote-only like me, or sync them up with your smart home system, SmartWings offers an easy win for better sleep, cooler rooms, and more peace during long summer days. They are also one of the cheapest and most inexpensive “smart” blinds on the market.
Let me know if you want help picking a style or model, or I hear their customer service is amazing and fast.