While there are numerous computer games and apps that claim to improve cognitive function, there is no conclusive evidence that these products have significant neurological benefits for older adults. Best Exercise for Brain, A meta-analysis of eight clinical trials published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in February 2020 discovered that, while computer cognition training was associated with small, short-term cognitive benefits, there is insufficient high-quality research to support the use of brain games for dementia prevention or long-term cognitive function.
A good place to start is with your morning newspaper. “Simple games like Sudoku and word games are good, as well as comic strips where you find things that are different from one picture to the next,” says John E. Morley, MD, a professor of medicine in the division of geriatric medicine at St. Louis University in Missouri. Dr. Morley recommends the following exercises to sharpen your mental skills in addition to word games. Keep in mind that there is a lack of high-quality research in this area; Morley’s clinical experience is the basis for these recommendations.
Best Exercise for Brain (Exercise in Brain Process)
Test Your Recall
Make a list of items to buy, tasks to complete, or anything else that comes to mind, and memories it. See how many items you can recall an hour later. Make the list as difficult as possible to provide the most mental stimulation. Best Exercise for Brain, One small previous study found that writing and organizing lists assisted older adults in recalling word lists more effectively.
Let the Music Play
Learn to play an instrument or sing in a choir. Learning new and complex skills is beneficial to the ageing brain, and a previous review published in The Gerontologist suggested that musical activities (such as playing an instrument, singing in a choir, or taking piano lessons) held particular promise for healthy brain ageing, though research is limited.
Do Math in Your Head
Solve problems without using a pencil, paper, or computer. One small study, published in 2021 in Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, suggested that solving maths problems improved participants’ cognition. By walking at the same time, you can make this exercise more difficult — and athletic.
Take a Cooking Class
Learn how to cook a different cuisine. Cooking involves a variety of senses, including smell, touch, sight, and taste, which all involve different parts of the brain. Best Exercise for Brain, According to the Cleveland Clinic, you will also use cognitive skills such as meal planning, problem solving, creating a grocery list, multitasking, and organizing.
Learn a Language
The brain is stimulated by the listening and hearing involved in learning a new language. Furthermore, being bilingual was linked to a lower risk of developing dementia in a meta-analysis published in Psychonomic Bulletin & Review in October 2020.
Create a Word Picture
Visualize a word’s spelling in your head, and then try to think of other words that begin (or end) with the same two letters.
Draw a Map from Memory
When you get home from a trip to a new location, try to draw a map of the area. Repeat this exercise whenever you travel somewhere new. One previous study, which focused on London taxi drivers (who are expected to memorize the city’s complex layout), discovered that drivers who successfully memorized the city map showed permanent changes in brain structure and improved cognitive function.
Challenge your Taste Buds
When eating, try to identify individual ingredients in your meal, such as subtle herbs and spices.
Hand Eye Coordination
Take up a new hobby that requires fine motor skills and will help you maintain your hand-eye coordination. Best Exercise for Brain, This could include racquet sports, tai chi, knitting, drawing, painting, or playing video games, according to Harvard Health Publishing.
Learn New Sport
Begin with an athletic exercise. According to a review published in Frontiers in Psychology in December 2019, improving your balance, strength, and aerobic capacity — your body’s ability to use oxygen for energy — can help protect your brain as you age. Morley specifically recommends yoga, golf, or tennis as brain-boosting exercises, whereas Harvard Health Publishing recommends swimming for its brain-boosting benefits.
Best Exercise for Brain (Physical Exercise)
AEROBIC EXERCISE
According to Small, regular aerobic exercise increases blood flow to the brain as well as the size of the hippocampus, the part of the brain involved in verbal memory and learning. One study published in The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences in 2017 discovered a link between inactivity and dementia risk. Best Exercise for Brain, The researchers also performed MRI scans on approximately 2,000 people aged 60 and up and discovered that the more active they were, the larger their hippocampus was. The best part? The protective effects were greatest in those over the age of 75, demonstrating that it’s never too late to start.
Weight Training
A study published in the journal Neuro Image: Clinical in 2020 discovered that six months of strength training can help prevent hippocampus shrinkage in older adults. Another study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, compared the effects of two types of exercise done once or twice weekly for 12 months among women ages 65 to 75 — balance and tone training and resistance training — and discovered that pumping iron produced the best results for memory and other cognition measurements.
YoGa-Best Exercise for Brain
A 2016 UCLA study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease discovered that people 55 and older who participated in a 12-week programme consisting of an hour of meditative yoga once a week and 12 minutes of at-home meditation improved significantly in both verbal memory (the ability to remember word lists) and visual-spatial memory (the ability to find and remember locations).
Tai Chi
According to a 2018 study published in the journal Frontiers in Ageing Neuroscience, older adults who practiced tai chi for 12 weeks had a greater ability to multitask than those who did not. They also had more activity in the prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain responsible for higher-level thinking. According to research funded by the National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health, tai chi can help improve reasoning, planning, problem-solving, and memory in older adults who do not have significant cognitive impairment. Adults with mild cognitive impairment caused by dementia also saw an improvement in cognitive ability.
Dancing
A landmark study published in the New England Journal of Medicine followed seniors for more than 20 years and discovered that regular dancing reduced the risk of dementia by 76% — twice as much as reading. Dance interventions improved cognitive function in dementia patients, according to a 2017 review published in the journal Current Alzheimer Research.
Best Brain Games to Keep Your Mind Sharp
Brain-training games are used by people of all ages to improve mental functioning and to prevent brain ageing. Brain-training games may help improve attention levels, memory, response time, logic skills, and other measures of cognitive function when played over time, according to research.
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Sudoku
Sudoku is a short-term memory number placement game. To solve a Sudoku puzzle, you must think ahead and follow the consequences of your actions—if you put a 6 in this box that one must be an 8 and this one a 4, and so on. Best Exercise for Brain, This type of preparation aids in the improvement of short-term memory and concentration.
Sudoku can be played online, through an app, or on paper. Look for a regular Sudoku puzzle in your newspaper, buy a puzzle book, or download a free app for your phone or tablet.
Sudoku puzzles are available in a variety of difficulty levels. Play the simple games at first to learn the rules. Use a pencil when playing on paper!
Lumosity
Lumosity is a well-known brain training and mental fitness programme. You can sign up for a free account to play three games per day, or you can subscribe for more options. In either case, you can keep track of your progress and results.
Science backs Lumosity‘s enjoyable brain training and mental fitness games, tests, and activities. You can play them on the website or by downloading the free iOS and Android apps. Lumosity Mind, a meditation and mindfulness app, is also available.
Crossword
Crossword puzzles are a classic brain trainer, accessing memory from many dimensions of knowledge as well as verbal language. Crossword puzzles can be completed in a variety of ways, both online and offline. Best Exercise for Brain, A crossword puzzle is almost always included in a daily newspaper. Pick up a book of crossword puzzles tailored to your skill level and interests.
There are also numerous crossword puzzle options available online or through free or low-cost apps. The AARP website provides a daily crossword puzzle that is available to everyone, whether or not they are members of the organization.
Elevate
To play Elevate‘s 35 (and counting) brain training games, you’ll need to download an app. It’s free (with in-app purchases) and has tens of thousands of five-star reviews on both the iOS and Android versions.
Elevate’s games focus on reading, writing, speaking, and maths, and you can tailor your training to your specific needs. You can track your progress, as with most other brain games, to see how your skills are improving.
Peak
Peak is yet another app-only option (available for iOS and Android) that offers brain games to help you improve your focus, memory, problem-solving skills, mental agility, and other cognitive functions. If you’re a competitive person, seeing how you compare to other users might motivate you. The app is free to use, but a small subscription fee unlocks additional features.
Happy Neuron
Memory, attention, language, executive functions, and visual/spatial are the five critical brain areas. That Happy Neuron divides its games and activities into. It personalizes the training to fit you, tracks your progress. And the games are based on scientific research, similar to Lumosity.
To use the site, you must pay a monthly subscription fee. And the simplified app version is only available for Android users. Happy Neuron, on the other hand, provides a free trial offer to see if you like the approach.
Braingle
Braingle’s free website, which claims to have the world’s largest collection of brain teasers. Offers more than 15,000 puzzles, games, and other brain teasers as well as an online community of enthusiasts. You can even make your own puzzles to challenge your mind. Braingle offers a wide range of games, such as optical illusions, codes and cyphers, and trivia quizzes.
Queendom
There are thousands of personality tests and surveys available in Queendom. It also has a large collection of “brain tools” for you to exercise and test your brain. Such as logic, verbal, spatial, and math puzzles, trivia quizzes, and aptitude tests. You’ll need a free account to save your results and scores. Some tests provide free snapshot results but charge a fee for full reports.
Brain Age Concentration Training
Brain Age Concentration Training is a Nintendo 3DS brain training and mental fitness system. It contains a large number of games that will help you improve your concentration, memory, calculation, and other brain skills. It’s entertaining, portable, and challenging. Brain Age is also available for the Nintendo Wii U. But not for the Nintendo Switch, the company’s most recent gaming system.
Wordle
The New York Times’ web-based puzzle game exploded in popularity in early 2022, with millions of users worldwide. The premise is straightforward: users are given six chances to guess a five-letter word. The combination of problem-solving challenges and an easy-to-use interface in Wordle provides a satisfying mental workout.