Keeping your brain healthy doesn’t have to be a boring or laborious task. Brain training can, in fact, include lots of fun games.
The science on whether or not these games can contribute to long-term health benefits or staving off brain health problems is still relatively unclear and undecided, but a lot of scientists agree that brain training games do help your brain stay alert and active, which contributes to better mental performance, problem-solving skills, and overall cognition levels.
Sounds good to me.
If this is something you want for yourself, here are 3 of our favourite brain games to play regularly. We love these as a quick lunchtime exercise or something to unwind with at the weekend. Whatever way you do them is up to you, but the intended benefits are all the same.
And we can never say no to some increased brain function. Goodness knows we need it…
Sudoku
Soduku is a classic game that has been around since the 19th century and has been featured regularly in newspapers since then. It is one of the world’s most popular and accessible brain training games and you can find them almost anywhere, either online or on paper.
It is a problem-solving, logic-based numbers game in which you must fill smaller number grids with the digits 1-9 inside a larger overall number grid. The aim of the game is to use each digit between 1-9 only once on both the vertical and horizontal lines.
It is a simple concept but you can spend much longer than you might think trying to figure the puzzle out.
It’s a great one for a quick brain training session and it can really help your brain stay alert and active throughout the day. It is much better than scrolling on your phone on your lunch break at the very least.
Brain Training
Nintendo’s Brain Training has been around since the Nintendo DS days and it is now also available on the Nintendo Switch.
This game has been played by millions across the globe for over a decade, and it is many people’s go-to option for brain training.
It will calculate your brain age through games and activities and then give you training exercises to improve your brain age. They are a mix of maths, logic, problem-solving and linguistic games. In the new version you can play alone or with friends, you can set an alarm to remind yourself to play, and you can share your success and progress with others.
This is a great option if you like something digital and interactive, and it has a lot of variety so that you will never get bored.
Elevate
Elevate is a great option for those who want to do some brain training on their smartphones.
It is a simple and accessible brain training app that includes lots of different daily games to help you improve your brain functioning. It mostly targets linguistic skills, but it can help you stay sharp and alert in a multitude of ways.
If you want something that you can put in your pocket and bring with you everywhere you go, Elevate is a great one to try.
Which brain training game do you think you would like to try out? Let us know in the comments below!
