Hearing fatigue is a real battle when you are singled sided deaf.  

In a person with normal hearing, listening often costs extremely little in terms of energy, say $.0001. When you become single sided deaf hearing now costs more, let’s say pennies. All those pennies really stack up by the end of the day. It is important to plan out your hearing budget and spend it wisely. I weigh costs and benefits to noisy situations to decide what is best for my hearing budget. Before I lost my hearing, I may have listened to music while folding laundry, and now I may take that as a listening break. I purposefully plan some quiet time so that when my kids want to chatter to me all about their extra curriculars, I have the bandwidth to listen and participate. On a vacation, I will weigh out whether eating in a noisy restaurant is a better experience, or if take out would be a better fit so I can have some quiet time.

Hearing breaks are extremely important for coping with hearing fatigue. A long break is lovely ( like a half-hour lunch break), but even a short couple minute break can help you make it through the day. I make sure to take them both at work and situations like busy social events. If you can squeeze in a nap, you will really recharge your hearing battery. But even 2 quiet minutes in a restroom can help you make it through a long day. Noise canceling headphones can be another option for creating a hearing break where there isn’t a quiet location to sneak off to.

Ear plugs can be helpful with hearing fatigue. Good ear plugs can help cut down the noise level and/or background noise and still give you the ability to follow conversation. I find wearing them at noisy situations like a basketball game or even in the car with rowdy kids helps a lot. Ear plugs help me get tired less quickly.

Hearing assistance devices like hearing aids can also help you cut down on hearing fatigue as they make it easier for you to hear so your brain doesn’t have to work as hard.

Keep in mind that tracking information given to you orally may be more challenging with single sided deafness. While you may be understanding the person just fine in a good hearing environment, your brain is using extra energy and cognitive load just to listen. Remembering may be a lot more difficult than it used to be. Plan to take notes, use a voice recorder app, or even bring along a person with two working ears for important spoken information. I always ask for written instructions when I can. I also find captioning apps very helpful, as these often have a feature to save the conversation transcript.

Count the cost of hearing in your planning for your schedule and life. Give yourself grace that after extended periods of listening, you will be worn out. Plan work arounds for noise when you can. Make hearing breaks a part of your routines.