The value of games – Sudoku, crossword, video – for your mind
My son likes to play Sudoku. The trouble is that he plays it for hours on end. When I ask him to do something else, he claims that it is a game that will improve his mind. Is this true?

Actually, he is right.

There was a study published in 2019 called “Protect”.

Over 19,000 people aged 50 to 93 were enrolled in this study.

They weren’t required to do anything special, just go about their normal daily routine.

However, they had to report whether or not they did number puzzles, and how frequently they did them.

The results?

Those who did number puzzles more than once a day had superior cognitive (brain) performance on 10 core measures, compared with all the other groups.

So, yes, playing Sudoku will improve your son’s brain.

He just needs to be a bit less extreme about it and not play it for hours.

I prefer to play crossword puzzles. Will this improve my brain?

According to a study published in 2014, if you play crossword puzzles, it may delay the onset of memory decline.

The researchers followed 488 people and assessed them every 12 to 18 months during the period of the study.

Those who played crossword puzzles had delayed onset of memory decline by at least 2.54 years.

This was independent of the education status of the study subjects.

So, yes, doing crossword puzzles can help your brain in this manner.

Most crossword puzzles tend to be free. You can easily get them from a newspaper or download a phone app.

You can also subscribe to certain apps to get regular, new crossword puzzles.

If you really don’t want to pay for a subscription, then most of the time, you just have to watch advertisements before they let you go on to the next puzzle.

(I don’t even watch them. I put down my phone and give my eyes a rest from staring at the phone.)

What other activities can improve my mind?

Other than playing number and crossword puzzles, these activities below have been shown to improve your cognition:

Meditation

Visualisation This involves making a mental picture of what can happen. For example, if you have to give a presentation tomorrow to your boss, you can visualise how you will make your presentation step by step. Be as vivid and detailed as possible, as visualisation will help your brain organise information and make decisions.

Playing card or board games, especially memory ones

Completing jigsaw puzzles These help your memory rotation, perception and reasoning.

Playing chess and draughts

Playing video games

Socialising

Learning new skills

Increasing your vocabulary

Learning a new language

Listening to music

Learning a musical instrument

Starting a new hobby, like painting, sketching or sewing

Dancing

Exercising regularly

Practising tai chi.

My son also likes to play video games. He also claims that these will improve his brain. But he plays them for hours!

Anything excessive is unhealthy.

If a child plays video games too much, it may affect his sleep, socialisation, and ability to do homework, study and finish his chores.

Therefore, as a parent, you need to set limits.

(That goes for adults who are video-gaming too! You need to set limits for yourself!)

Some of these limits include:

Ensuring your child finishes his or her responsibilities for the day, such as homework, chores, etc, before commencing a video game.

Putting a limit to the amount of video-gaming per day. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 30 to 60 minutes of video games on school days, and two hours or less on non-school days. If the child is under six, there should be only under one hour of screen time per day. Some days a week should involve no gaming whatsoever.

Ensuring that you know exactly what video game your child is playing. Some of them contain excessive violence and nudity.

Making sure your child does other recreational activities besides video games, such as a physical sport.

I am worried that too much time in front of a computer screen will damage my son’s eyesight.

Excessive screen time has been shown to have a negative effect on children and adolescents.

This includes a higher risk of depression, anxiety, poor sleep and obesity.

It can also impair language skills and give rise to behavioural problems.

As for adults, excessive screen time can give you eye strain, impaired sleep and poor mental health.

For both children and adults, excessive screen time can also increase your risk of nearsightedness, or myopia.

Research has shown that you need to limit social media to 30 to 60 minutes a day for better mental health.

You also need to spend three to four hours every day without any computer screen.

Take a break every 20 minutes from your screen to give your eyes a rest.

Do not use a screen one hour before bedtime, because the light negatively affects falling asleep and the quality of your sleep.

Dr YLM graduated as a medical doctor, and has been writing for many years on various subjects such as medicine, health, computers and entertainment. For further information, email starhealth@thestar.com.my. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only, and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Neither The Star nor the author gives any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to such information. The Star and the author disclaim all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.
Tell Me About,Brain,games,Sudoku,crossword puzzle,video games
Do number and word puzzles, as well as video games, really help to improve your brain’s ability to learn and understand?