It is well understood that muscles can atrophy, or waste away, if they’re not used enough. But even though your brain is an organ and not a muscle, it too can waste away if you don’t give it regular, stimulating, mental workouts.
Cognitive decline is a health condition where brain function is reduced. Severe cognitive decline can happen with neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and various forms of dementia. Milder cognitive decline is a natural consequence of the normal wear and tear of aging.
Some common signs of age-related cognitive loss are:
- Becoming forgetful
- Losing your train of thought
- Having trouble following a conversation
- Being unable to follow a movie or story plot
- Losing your way around familiar places
- Stumbling or falling repeatedly
Reduced brain function can be very distressing for senior adults. As with most age-related diseases and disorders, loss of brain function cannot be stopped or reversed. But with enough mental exercise and stimulation, it is possible to slow down the speed of loss.
The benefits of brainteasers and brain games
Think of your brain as a knife. Using the same knife for years ultimately dulls its edge, so you pull out the knife sharpener and set to work whetting and honing the blade. With regular maintenance and upkeep, the old knife may well continue to serve you efficiently for years to come.
Brain games serve a similar purpose, as well as being a fun way to pass time and engage with others.
What are brainteasers
Brain games and brainteasers can be found in numerous shapes and forms, some broader categories being:
- Word — crossword puzzles, anagrams, word search, Scrabble
- Number — Sudoku
- Picture — jigsaw puzzles, find-the-difference
- Logic — mazes, Tetris
- Memory — matching pairs
- Strategy — chess, bridge, Battleship
- Riddles
Riddle Me This
All day long I ask one question. Every time the answer is different, yet every time it is also correct. What is the question?
“What time is it?”
How do brain games help your brain
Most brain games work on the principle of “Here’s a problem. Let’s solve it.” The solution comes usually after analyzing the problem from multiple angles.
Solving a problem requires your brain to use a combination of visualization, reasoning, memory recall, and concentration. All good brainteasers you engage with give you a chance to practice these skills, with numerous benefits for both physical and mental health.
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Visualization strengthens and rewires your brain
To visualize is to form a mental picture, either still or moving. Your brain needs to put in some effort to create this picture, combining colors, shapes, sounds, smells, and movement. The more complicated the picture or scene, the more brain effort is needed to create it.
Several research studies show that visualization has an actual, physical effect on your brain and one study compares visualization exercises to pumping iron. Just as muscles grow stronger with every additional pound of weight you lift, visualization exercises strengthen your brain’s neuroplasticity, or its ability to grow, adapt, and create new neurological connections in response to new experiences.
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Reasoning maintains control over fine motor skills
Reasoning, or thinking in a logical way, involves analyzing and organizing information in order to come to a conclusion. Research shows that using reasoning, or the logical approach to solve problems, sparks electrical activity in the frontal lobe of the brain, an area also responsible for managing motor control, emotions, and language skills.
Regularly playing brain games and brainteasers may help keep the frontal lobe of your brain active and agile. The benefits may carry over into other aspects of aging and enable you to perform tasks requiring fine motor skills, such as doing up buttons, brushing teeth, writing, for longer.
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Memory recall improves pattern recognition
According to some experts, one reason you lose memories is because you can’t find the right cue to fetch them from your storehouse of memories. Brain games that involve memory recall, such as matching pairs where you place cards face-down and must remember which card is where, can give you valuable practice in how to use memory ‘cues’.
These games also improve your sense of pattern recognition, a mechanism that lets you remember the sequence of the alphabet, differentiate between the faces of friends and strangers, and follow traffic rules.
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Concentration keeps you safe
Being able to focus attention on something for a reasonable amount of time lets you learn, absorb, and retain information, such as when your doctor explains how to take the new medication they’ve prescribed.
The ability to concentrate also helps you push aside any distractions that may be harmful or dangerous. For example, when cooking a heart-healthy meal, even a brief moment of distraction could lead to a cut finger.
The many ways to play
Everyone has their preferences about how to play their favorite games. Some folks like the physical, tactile experience of turning jigsaw puzzle pieces over in their hands. Others can’t curl their finger around a pencil, so play their daily crossword on a computer touchscreen.
Some enjoy facing off their opponent over a chessboard in the park, while certain brainteasers like mental health riddles can work as social bonding activities as people put their heads together to find the answer.
Howsoever you wish to play, make brain games and brainteasers an integral part of your daily routine. They’re fun, brighten your mood, improve social interaction, and have a positive influence on your physical and mental well-being.
Staying on top of cognitive decline
Age-induced cognitive decline can occur so slowly and imperceptibly that often you don’t even realize it’s happening to you. If you notice any of the symptoms listed above, make sure to discuss it with your doctor at your next Medicare Annual Wellness Visit.