Regularly Playing Word Games Can Help Peoples Memory To Stay Sharp

Experts recommend that playing Wordle or the daily crossword is a great way to start your day. It can also have long-lasting positive effects on brain health.

Experts say that elderly individuals who play daily word games can strengthen their brains, and possibly stave off cognitive decline as well as other issues that develop as we age.

DailyMail.com was even informed by an expert that younger gamers are doing work that will help their brains in the near future.

Experts cannot determine the mechanism but they have observed the trend of working out the mind by offering it simple, simple problems to solve and maintaining it active and healthy.

Dr Ronald Petersen (left), director of Alzheimer's research at the Mayo Clinic, told DailyMail.com that playing daily word games is a good lifestyle choice, in the same vein of healthy eating and regular exercise. Dr Jessica Caldwell (right), neuropsychologist at Cleveland Clinic, said the games can be an easy, 'autopilot', way to train the brain

"Those kinds of word games are fun if they challenge you, so you can't do them on autopilot, and I think it's serving an important purpose when it comes to helping your brain's health throughout your life," said Dr Jessica Caldwell, a neuropsychologist at Cleveland Clinic.

DailyMail.com was told by Dr Ronald Petersen at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota that he recommends it to patients with problems with memory or thinking.

The primary benefit of games are that they are enjoyable. People may take part in them without thinking about it and not be aware that they are improving their brains long-term. Extremecraft

Many people get a lot of enjoyment from playing word games, and the recent eruption of Wordle which was created by an independent game designer before being bought by the New York Times for seven-figures - shows there is a demand for these games in the general population.

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Add to that the real challenges these games provide and the potential learning of new concepts, words, and phrases can keep your brain engaged.

'In order to keep your memory and your thinking sharp, the key is really challenge and learning to keep your mind sharp,' Caldwell said.

'Those are the only ways that you're really actually exercising your brain, you're creating new neural pathways, while also aiding the neural pathways that were previously in place, so the key is you shouldn't just be doing nothing.'

Petersen explained that these kinds of games can have a negative impact on a person's health in the short and long-term. It's similar to regular cardio and an active lifestyle that can improve long-term health.

The emergence of Wordle in recent months shows that there is a demand for fast, simple and world-class games within the general population

He also described aging as something a person can turn into an 'active' process, taking on more responsibility in the way a person's body ages, and less of a passive process in which the person allows their body to slowly break down as they age.

'Don't just sit there and let things degrade mentally and physically,' Petersen said.

Petersen believes that this is due to 'plasticity' in the brain.

The brain's plasticity is the capacity for the brain, as well as the neural networks that make it up to expand and grow in time.

Petersen believes that regular exercise can activate neurons and improve their plasticity which may help prevent cognitive decline.

Petersen stated that this factor can also be applied to video games, but simple word games are usually free of some of the negative aspects.

A video game, such as the popular games like Minecraft and Call of Duty, can help activate neurons, and can even help learn to improve their audio and visual response to stimulus.

These games can be extremely addictive, however, they can also cause other issues - such as how prolonged exposure to screens can affect a person's eyes and affect their sleep.