I've had to deal with numb fingers -- in fact, searching for information on that is what led me to this board. I tried gloves, but I gave them up.

What worked for me:

- as oboeguy said, losing the Death Grip. Concentrate on gripping gently and it'll quickly become a habit.

- raising the handlebars to shorten my reach, so that I can always keep my elbows slightly bent. You may have to replace your stem to accomplish this, depending on your bike. Check with LBS to optimize your seat/bars adjustment.

- Most Important, taking one hand, then the other, off the bar for about 10 seconds every mile or so. I find this makes a HUGE difference on long rides. After the first 20 miles or so, every mile from then on I take a "rolling break": I ride with one hand for about 10 seconds, then with the other for about 10 seconds. Then I stand up on the pedals and coast for about 10 seconds to give my butt a break. Goofy? Perhaps, but I enjoy longer rides a lot more now. I don't need to stop for breaks as much, and no numbness.

One other thing I noticed when I had to ride with one hand after breaking my right elbow: usually I put A LOT of weight on my hands when I ride, but it's possible to put more on the legs and less on the hands. This is actually easier to understand/practice with just one hand on the bars. With practice, I find I'm doing a better job of it, even with both hands.

BTW, I think two-finger braking is probably easier on the fingers than four-finger.

I hope that's not TMI and I hope at least some of it helps.