Keeping Our Brains Going

This is national Brain Awareness Week. That means it's a great time to learn how to keep our brains going as we get older. So, what can we do to keep our brains healthy?

Playing games might be just when the doctor ordered. At least when it comes to avoiding dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.

We're talking about mind games, things like Sudoku or chess. But even games like Angry Birds, or other smart phone apps or video games, might help keep your brain sharp as you get older.

We've known for some time that both mind games and physical activity do seem to work hand-in-hand to keep the mind sharp as we get older. But now we known that the same things might also help keep the bigger problem of Alzheimer's at bay. Recent research found those study participants who played more mind games also had less of the protein build up in the brain though to cause Alzheimer's Disease.

According to these researchers, it didn't matter what types of games or mind activities someone used, just that did them early and often. As a matter of fact, starting them in early and middle life seemed to offer the most protection from this protein buildup.

But no matter how young or old you are, it is really never too later to start picking up the game habit. So grab a puzzle or a smartphone game and start playing away. That might be one big step towards keeping your mind sharp.