use your phone leveling app and tilt up the nose of the saddle a degree or so. Keeps weight from wanting to slide into the bars and your wrist. Core strength will help too from getting your hands too heavy. Vary hand positions. Bring tools and rotate the bars, small adjustments at a time.

I don't use gloves unless cold or racing. And no padding as it increase angle to the wrist joints. I'd recommend padded bar tape. I like the Fizik padded performance tape.
Fizik Bar Tape Performance Colors from BikeBling.com

As far as MTB goes, more sweeping bar the better. 9* sweeps are nice and easy on the wrist.