I believe that in noisy environments, much more happens that just not being able to hear properly. The situation is not that I can just stand there in the noise and be happy, if deaf. A definite, unconfortable mental confusion or stress sets in, that really rather forces me to leave the environment. This seems to me almost a neurological effect. In noisy, crowded rooms, I get an instant and dramatic sense of relief by plugging up my ear and being completely deaf - in such environments I am practically deaf anyways.
Noisy environments can be fatiguing, although I am sure this is true for anyone. I used to get quite tired flying on airplanes, but now I use earplugs (well, an earplug) regularly which helps considerably. Similarly, on long drives, in my previous older noisier car, I used to get fatigued, arriving rather exhausted. An earplug while driving is perhaps not altogether safe, but on 8 hr. interstate drives it certainly helped with the fatigue. My newer car has quite good sound proofing, which has made a world of difference. I am sure this fatigue is related to the stress of a noisy environment, noted above.