Good health is often evaluated through balance and moderation and includes a healthy diet, exercise, socializing, and even game playing. Brain games are fun and can be stimulating, and they also improve specific skills related to each riddle, game or puzzle. The key to reaping the benefits of brain games is to find something you like which gives you joy and provides a challenge.
Sudoku
This puzzle requires logical thinking and reasoning, patience and a small amount of time. Sudoku originated in Japan and has become quite popular in the United States. It is a puzzle which uses the numbers one through nine, nine columns, nine rows, and nine three-by-three grids. In order to complete the puzzle, the numbers one through nine are used to fill in all blocks of every column, row and grid. The caveat is this--the same number may not be used in the same space of any row, column or three-by-three grid. These puzzles are typically completed in 10 to 30 minutes. You can find sudoku puzzles online, in books and newspapers.
Brain Age
The developers of Brain Age contend the brain is a muscle that needs to be used and tested on a daily basis in order to maintain skill and ability. This game is supposed to work the prefrontal cortex of the brain which controls how you use stored information in practical daily situations. Brain Age is a game used with the Nintendo DS and provides a litany of math and reading games to improve skills related to the tasks presented. Tasks include memory and recall games, spatial, speed and logical games, word problems, currency games and basic math solving. This company recommends daily practice for a minimum of 10 minutes per day.
There are also brain age tests and quizzes online and in books, independent from the Brain Age company and Nintendo.
Online Brain Games
There are hundreds of sites dedicated to providing up-to-date puzzles, riddles, word searches and jumbles, memory and typing games, crossword puzzles and more. These games stimulate thinking, reasoning and decision-making skills for the game you play. Some of these sites teach new skills and have been shown to stimulate mental cognition. The more you play, the more skill levels and ability increase.
These games are meant to be fun while you engage your mind. Invite your friends to play along and increase your brain health through socializing, which has been proven to reduce the risks of dementia.
