Do you know what disease Americans over the age of 60 fear most? It’s not cancer or stroke, but dementia. A terrifying disease that progressively destroys your brain, taking along with it your memory and thinking skills. But fearing dementia is a waste of time and energy unless it motivates you to do something to prevent it. There are many ways to cut your dementia risk drastically, for example, exercise and diet. But one of the most popular forms of dementia prevention is brain exercise.
Indeed, brain exercises have become so popular in the past 15 years that you no longer have to resort to old fashioned brain-boosting games like crossword puzzles and Sudoku. Now, you can play computerized games that are actually designed to prevent dementia. However, a couple of years ago a group of cognitive scientists and neuroscientists came together to release a statement saying that most of these computerized brain training games don’t actually prevent or reverse cognitive decline as advertised. The research just isn’t there.
But don’t lose all faith in brain games. According to the latest science, there is one type of computerized brain training game that really does help your cognitive skills. It’s called speed of processing training or useful field of view training. Researchers at the University of South Florida found that older adults who completed 11 or more sessions of this type of brain training game over 10 years reduced their risk of dementia by 48 percent. It’s true! Just by playing a simple game, you can actually cut your dementia risk in half.
The study’s lead researcher says that each time you play a round of this game you reduce your dementia risk by 8 percent. I’d say that’s a pretty good return on investment.
People who played this game experienced other benefits too, such as:
- A better attention span
- Less depression
- A better quality of life
- Improved driving skills
You’re probably wondering what speed of processing training (or useful field of view training) actually is. Well, it’s an exercise designed to improve the speed and accuracy of your visual attention. In this type of exercise, you might be asked to identify an object, like a car or truck, in the center of your computer screen while you also find an object, like another car, in your peripheral vision. As you continue to practice, you’ll begin finding the peripheral object quicker.
The actual game researchers used in their study is called Double Decision and is available on the website BrainHQ.com. You can watch a video on their website that shows you how to play. But if you want to try it for yourself, you have to buy a subscription to the site. Depending on your choice of subscription, it’s priced at either $14 per month or $8 per month. This may sound expensive, but based on this study, it might be a worthy investment, especially if dementia fears are keeping you up at night.
The bottom line is, dementia is a scary and life-altering disease. But you don’t have to live in fear of it. All you need to do is incorporate a few simple lifestyle changes, like regular physical exercise, a healthy diet, and engaging in brain-training games that focus on the speed of processing training. Give your brain the workout it needs, and you’ll greatly lower your odds of dementia, allowing you to live your golden years with a sharp and healthy mind.
