Paddy Power Bingo: The Health Benefits of Bingo

Bingo is a hugely popular game both online and offline in many parts of the world. For most players, bingo is more than just winning money – it’s a form of entertainment that brings enjoyment to people of all ages. Focusing on the elderly in particular, a trip to the bingo halls can be a fun day, where others, may have as much enjoyment by playing it from their own homes. In a bid to highlight the fantastic game catered to all ages, a recent study has shown that playing bingo can have some remarkable health benefits for the elderly.

Of course, it won’t help you lose weight, get fit, or reduce your blood pressure, as it not a physical activity, however, research has suggested that playing the popular game can help improve your memory and mental agility.

Here are five reasons why senior citizens should be playing more bingo.

1 – Enhances Hand-Eye Coordination

A person’s coordination and reflexes decline naturally over age, however, certain games can help the elderly maintain a high level of hand-eye coordination. Bingo can be a very fast paced game and requires players to identify numbers as they are called and mark their cards accordingly, often with a counter or a using a pen. Because of the speed and repetitive nature of the game, research has shown that that bingo can significantly improve the hand-eye coordination of many elderly participants.

2 – Boost Cognitive Abilities

As the game requires a great deal of mental flexibility and alertness to grasp, identify and remember specific information, bingo may help improve your loved one’s perceptive abilities and short-term memory. Studies have also shown that bingo players perform better than non-bingo players on tests measuring memory, mental speed and information retention.

3 – Improves Physical Health

Depending on how you play, bingo can involve a lot of laughter and excitement. Laughter releases endorphins that can cause a number of physical changes in the body that boosts the immune system, relieves stress, and even partially blocks pain receptors. In short, bingo can actually promote a person’s general health.

4 – Increases Socialisation

Social interactions are crucial for the elderly to maintain a happy and healthy life. Research has shown that seniors who take part in regular social activities tend to live a longer and healthier life than those who don’t. As most bingo players are likely to return after playing their first game, there is a greater opportunity for to form new relationships with fellow players.

5 – Accelerates Healing and Recuperation

Bingo does have the potential to help the elderly recover faster following an operation or a serious illness. According to recent studies, elderly people who played games such as bingo during their recover periods following operations or other illnesses had a shorter stay in hospital and a faster healing time. People who played games during their recovers also had a reduced risk of depression.