Most of us know we need to exercise more. Our body needs it. So we go for a walk and then high-five ourselves for improving our health.
But what about brain health?
Here’s the good news: it turns out that playing games is good for your brain. Brain teasers help sharpen our wits and may even delay mental health illnesses.
In this article, we explore the perks of playing games and check out the most effective games for a good brain workout.
Do Brain Teasers Keep Your Brain Fit?
Neurologists, researchers, and mental health professionals—we’ll call them brain doctors—all agree. Your brain needs exercise, too.
Research shows that challenging your brain:
• Increases memory retention
• Improves your ability to process information
• Reduces mental boredom
• Increases brain activity
• Improves concentration
• Helps slow the decline of mental health
Are you convinced yet?
Variety is the Key
There are Sudoku addicts around the world celebrating smugly right now. But, one type of mind game isn’t enough. To create the level of neuroplasticity we need, we need to switch things up.
This is because different mental workouts target different areas of the brain.
Simple memory games, for example, stimulate our amygdala and hippocampus. Visual games—like classic puzzles, mazes, and shape counting—give the brain’s right hemisphere a boost. Word games can help perk up the left side.
Maybe crosswords aren’t your thing. We get it. And they don’t have to be.
We’ve done the heavy lifting and found some of the best ways to flex your brain muscles:
BrainSportHero Web Trainer
Trainer is free of charge. More exercises are in the planning and development phase right now. The Trainer can be played on any kind of device from smartphone, tablets up to desktop devices.
Lumosity
With in-app purchases on iOS and Android, this is the most popular app for training your brain. The developers work to add new content and challenges all the time, so you’re not likely to run out of workouts here.
Clevermind
This app isn’t free, but it is great for mental workouts and is the only one on our list specifically designed for Alzheimer’s patients. It’s fascinating, easy to use, and comes with a voice assistant.
BrainHQ
This one offers more than just brain training. BrainHQ has fun exercises (finally those words can work together!) to develop your people skills and navigational abilities, too.
Conclusion
Some of the world’s leading brain doctors agree: challenging your brain daily helps keep it young. We’re not encouraging you to spend more time cultivating your cyber farm. It’s all about playing the right games, pushing your limits, and growing your brain stronger with time.
References
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0055518
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320093.php#3
http://advisor.tv/post/clevermind-helps-elderly-maintain-sharp-minds-with-simplified-ipad-platform-2