ADHD Distractions: Fixing Your Brain with Sudoku
Do you feel dim witted and mentally sluggish? Do you have a hard time remembering things because of your age? If you are like most of us with AD/HD you struggle remembering things from moment to moment like grocery lists and the name of that guy you met just last week who your boss introduced to you. But have you noticed the problem seems to get worse as you age? Like problems with heat I pointed out in my last column, people with neurological disorders seem to encounter these problems sooner than the average. I know that I have excellent kinesthetic memory, especially when writing or typing information. I have fairly excellent visual memory. And I have the worst auditory memory on this side of the planet. But over time I've felt all my mental skills diminish and grow dull and dingy. That's why I'm always on the look out for activities that perk up my mind and sharpen my senses.
I'll take a break from geocamming today to share just such and activity with you: Sudoku.
From Wikipedia:
Sudoku (数独 sūdoku?), also known as Number Place or Nanpure, is a logic-based placement puzzle. The aim of the puzzle is to enter a numerical digit from 1 through 9 in each cell of a 9√ó9 grid made up of 3√ó3 subgrids (called "regions"), starting with various digits given in some cells (the "givens"); each row, column, and region must contain only one instance of each numeral. Completing the puzzle requires patience and logical ability.
Sounds a bit complicated, doesn't it? That's what you get for letting geeks describe things. Sudoku is a number puzzle that requires no math. Each row must have numbers 1 through 9. Each block, or cell, must also have numbers 1 through 9. The puzzle is a 9x9 grid broken into 9 blocks. Your job is to figure out which numbers are missing and put them back in using the process of elimination.
There are techniques you can employ, if you wish, to speed up the solution process. I found an excellent resource at Sudoku of the Day that covers all the best techniques with diagrams. There is plenty there for Sudoku novices and experts. You can also print off a new Sudoku every day if you don't have access to the daily Sudoku in your local paper. I use Astroware's Sudoku, a shareware app for your PDA, as a break. Amazon has quite a few Sudoku products. There is also a Sudoku board game. I am not the speediest digit on the block but I like Sudoku because it forces me to think and prioritize and focus which I think can only be helpful in training my mind to overcome AD/HD as a whole. I also think it's fun. There are some wild claims made about Sudoku, but most theories hold Sudoku as an excellent activity that promotes memory retention and increases mental acuity. Brain Age for the Nintendo DS is all the rage in Japan for this very reason. I plan on trying it out to see if it matches up to the hype. (Amazon link)
Here are some excellent sites that feature free Sudoku puzzles:
The Daily Sudoku
Sudoku of the Day
Web Sudoku - This will be your favorite if you don't want to bother printing out the Sudoku puzzle. You also get to compare your times against others.
Do I think that a simple game of Sudoku will cure me of AD/HD? No, but it can't hurt. A good analogy would be that my Swiss Cheese brain is like a boat with a hole in the bottom and most days I spend my time bailing with a Dixie Cup just to stay afloat. But Sudoku helps me feel like I've traded up to a bucket. I don't think I can reverse things, but I like how I feel when I've completed a series of puzzles. For me that's a good thing. So give it a try. At the worst you'll have a new constructive distraction to choose from. Just stay away from the fiendishly hard Sudoku. They'll eat up a half hour of your time easily if not more. I try to keep to the simple Sudoku so I can finish them off quickly and get back to work. Have fun!
(I am collecting constructive distractions for this weekly feature. If you have some to suggest please leave them in the comments below. Registration is not necessary. You can even post anonymously.)
Comments
And if you're female, with AD/HD and nearing or in menopause, memory is even worse. So add in the 100+ degrees lately, and my brain is completely baked, too.
I can't do Sudoku- though it's not math, it's close enough to it to make me run. But I have been using Brain Age and I really love it. You can test your brain age periodically, and after "playing" for a few weeks, mine went from 40 something to 30 something. And I'm older than 40 something. I think.
Terry Matlen, ACSW
www.addconsults.com
www.myADDstore.com
If you get goos at Sudoku, you should try the larger grids. They are numbers 1 through 9 and letters A through F.
I know what you mean about visual memory. Someone at work was asking me if I had seen a box of some medication. I told her that my memory was mostly visual so I would have to see the name of the medication to help her out.
She starts spelling it out orally. Apparently the idea of "visual" had escaped her.
I love jigsaw puzzles though. I think I need the physical, kinesthetic aspect.
I think my daughter would like it though. I'd rather have her doing puzzles than chewing her fingers.
Sorry for the wrist-splitting 1st entry the other day (Forgiveness, Fury..). Actually I'm not such a black hole, just one of my down times.
Hey I tried distracting myself before whenever I lose interest in what I do but I found that I just get lost in the distraction and can never reign myself in after that.So for me I've gone back to my ol' strategy of Focus, Focus, Focus. I avoid distractions , even constructive ones now. Just my two cents. May not work for everyone but to each his own, eh?
Anonimous Manimal
Titania ~ I try to avoid the complicated ones. Not because I can't do them but because I don't want to spend an hour on the game. LOL I've played some pretty complex games and discovered I lost a lot of time doing it. So I keep things nice and simple and push myself for speed instead. Thanks for posting.
jeaniemarie ~ Exactly! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who finds Sudoku a mental pick-me-up. Hopefully anybody sitting on the fence or not in the know about Sudoku will find all these hearty endorsements inspiring.
Sylvana ~ LOL I have a friend who insists on reading URLs to me over the phone. "It's a real easy one to remember," he insists. And it goes in one ear and out the other. But if I see it I can remember it. Even better, if he emails it to me I can just click on it and not bother remembering! ;)
grkgrl88 ~ I agree. It's a great stress reliever. I really enjoy a good quick game just before falling asleep.
Laury ~ To avoid Sudoku addiction I make speed part of the challenge, as well as telling myself I will do ONE and ONE ONLY before I begin. When I first discovered Sudoku I would play for hours! Of course, as with any suggestion I make, your mileage may vary. Thanks for commenting.
Kim ~ :) Well, it's not for everybody. Jigsaw puzzles, for example, are something I stay far away from. I simply can't stop doing them. I get really lost in them.
You know, there is a Sudoku board game (http://www.mindandmemorystore.com/prodinfo.asp?number=G%20428&top=4). Maybe that could offer the kinesthetic aspect you need?
Heidi the Hick ~ I try to offer suggestions here that are not addictive, but ANYTHING can be addictive depending on the emotional experience of the individual. I've been pretty good about limiting my Sudoku escapades. Reading news, on the other hand, is my terrible weakness. And blogs. Dang, I love reading...
Anonimous Manimal ~ Hey, I didn't see anything wrong with the entry at all. Don't beat yourself up. I expect people to vent from time to time here because I touch upon sensitive issues.
If you find you cannot afford even constructive distractions then you know yourself best. I know I will be distracted given past history so I've set about finding good distractions that give me a break from boredom but don't absorb me too much. Your comments, and those of others, however, have helped me form a new column in mind. :) Thanks!
Thanks for posting comments, one and all. I have been so busy this summer I haven't attended to this blog as much as I'd have liked to. I'm really glad you continued to drop by.
~Douglas
~Jamie