I always put mine on DND and filter it for phone calls only from specific people (because if those people call me in the middle of night, it is for sure an emergency). Everything else is on silent.
I'm not sure what you mean by "Having it on DND still makes you receive the notifications". You can filter all that shit out, check your settings. If you mean that you want to be able to look at your phone but not see notifications, I'd say you just need to learn to put the phone down, period. Don't even be looking at that thing 30 minutes before bed. Put it down and get ready for bed, then sleep.
Yes, the poles hold up a piece of shade fabric that I throw over it if it gets too hot, or a rain storm is coming through (they still get wet, but not as much).