Keep your brain fit with the help of technology
We are quite familiar with the adage that our brain gets slower as we age. Its strength as it starts to decline, in both cognitive skills and structures. While we emphasise the importance of exercise to keep our bodies fit, we must also train our brains to stay healthy. This can be achieved through regular stimulation. Through problem-solving exercises, you may be able to put a brake on that decline.Research shows that brain-training games may help improve attention levels, memory, response time, logic skills, and other measures of cognitive function if played over a long time span.
What’s more, such games are available at your fingertips. There are plenty of brain training apps for Android and iOS that will challenge your brain with different exercises to improve brain skills like memory, focus, response, multi-tasking, problem-solving, etc. Here are a few apps to get you started.
Lumosity
App store: 4.7
Free, with in-app purchases
Lumosity is one of the most well-known programs for mental fitness and brain training and has been around for more than 10 years. To access more than 50 games, you can sign up for a subscription service or create a free account that allows you to play three games every day. You may monitor your progress and outcomes either way.
Lumosity’s fun brain training and mental fitness games, tests, and activities are backed by science. You may either play them online or download the free iOS and Android applications. The tests are definitely on the challenging side, and even after multiple tries, it is difficult to get a perfect score on any of them.
Elevate
App store: 4.8
Free, with in-app purchases
Elevate is another popular brain training app. It provides over 35 interactive games to help you exercise memory, processing, math, reading, focus and more skills. As it centres on those criteria you can customise your training in accordance with your preference. Thus, it has an educational feel to it. There are both free and premium versions of the app. In the free edition, you can unlock up to 21 games and play three of them every day. All brain training games are available in the pro edition, which also offers daily practice in five distinct games with sophisticated statistics. Most of the games are Q&A based, but they’re engaging enough to keep you entertained. Also, they are easy to comprehend thanks to their tutorials.
Peak
App Store rating: 4.7
Free, with in-app purchase
Peak games are designed to push your brain to its limit with short, intense cerebral workouts. Peak helps you improve your focus, memory, problem-solving, mental agility, and other cognitive abilities through challenging games. The app also provides you with a virtual ‘Coach’ that will be your personal trainer to help you reach your goals.
An initial assessment designs a workout schedule according to your needs to help you develop the abilities needed to advance through the levels. There are more than 40 games which can be accessed through a monthly subscription. You also get regular reports with insightful statistics to keep track of your progress. The app is free to download on iOS and Android devices.
Mnemonist
Free, with in-app purchases
Mnemonist is a specific app for this if you want to improve your vocabulary and memory in particular. A simple word-based game that Mnemonist offers requires you to memorize a list of words in order and then write them down in the same order. By doing so, you can hone your recalling abilities while also perhaps picking up new vocabulary. You may unlock the game’s 29 built-in levels, which range in difficulty, by collecting stars. When you’ve finished playing through these levels, head over to the section for custom levels to build your own challenges. To make a single custom level, however, you must either buy a premium account (which also removes adverts) or view a video ad.
Wordle!
App Store rating: 4.6
Free, with in-app purchases
Wordle! is a popular word game app with over one million downloads alone on Google Play. This web-based puzzle game from The New York Times exploded in popularity in early 2022 and now counts millions of users worldwide. Attempt the daily problem, where you have six tries to figure out the five-letter word of the day. Compare and share your scores with friends to foster healthy competition. Do a timed word challenge, where you must correctly spell a word before the timer expires if you wish to progress beyond the word of the day. Instead, try the ‘secret word’ option, in which you must guess as many words as possible. With the letters and hints supplied, you have three chances to guess each word; if you guess poorly, you have to try again.