Whether you have retired and want to make sure that your brain stays active now that you are no longer working, or you simply want a bit more stimulation to improve your memory, some simple activities can help you to keep your brain healthy. Just like exercising your body’s muscles helps to keep them strong, there are cognitive exercises that you can do to keep your brain in top shape. Here are a few activities that have been proven to help.
Sudoku and other puzzles
The game of Sudoku is a number-based puzzle that requires the player to resolve it by placing digits into the right place on a grid so that each column, row, and sub-grid contains all the numbers from 1 to 9. The continual practicing of logical thinking is a good way to keep your brain healthy. This is backed up by healthline where they refer to a study that proved that people who do puzzles have the brain function equivalent to someone 10 years younger. Crosswords, jigsaws, and card games like Concentration are also good for your brain as they encourage healthy levels of problem-solving and calculation.
Play online games
If you prefer games that have more incentives and that you can access online, then there are plenty of great casino games like the ones at PartyCasino NJ partnered with the Borgata. Games like online poker can help improve your brain capacity as it requires the calculation of odds, expected value, and combinatorics, for example. A study published by the Universite de Geneve revealed that playing video games improved the players’ cognitive abilities while helping them to hone skills that can be applied elsewhere.
Improve your diet
As well as playing games and puzzles that sharpen your brain, your lifestyle plays an important factor in your brain health. Harvard Health suggests that you also need physical exercise and to improve your diet, with a Mediterranean style diet proving to be the best option to reduce the likelihood of developing cognitive impairment and dementia. Limiting alcohol and not smoking is also advised to protect your brain, as well as your other vital organs.
Learn to play an instrument
If puzzles are not really your thing, there are plenty of other options that might appeal to you a bit more for you to spend your time on. Learning to play a musical instrument is a good way to keep your brain active whilst also doing something you find fun and worthwhile. AÂ study at Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute showed that ‘learning to play an instrument can result in immediate benefits to several indicators of brain function’.
Learn a new language
If you like to travel, or simply have an interest in being able to speak a new language then this is another good way to look after your brain’s health, with benefits including better concentration revealed in a study at Edinburgh’s School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences. You might also find that learning a new language makes your holidays more fun, allowing you to engage with locals and confidently place orders in restaurants without worrying about what will come out on your plate!
Whilst there is a lot of evidence that shows your brain will benefit from staying active through activities like these, it is also important that you choose others that you find enjoyable so that you continue to practice them on a regular basis.
