Wil, I have been fighting arthritis since I was a teen, & carpal tunnel for 5 years due to injuries, & I know it is not fun.    Sometimes everyone gets ache-y when playing alot. Arthritis is more likely to be in the joints or maybe in the bones of the "back" of your hand. Carpal tunnel usually shows up with tingling or stinging aka numbness of the fingers. Have you hurt your neck lately? The occipital nerve being inflamed/injured can cause carpal tunnel symptoms sometimes. You might consider getting some wrist splints & use them while you sleep. I have to wear mine all the time-even when I play. It isn't easy playing with them on!
I wonder if you played a different guitar for awhile would the symptoms be the same? Perhaps you have a terrific guitar, but my first one [a handmedown Harmony] was very difficult to play. The distance between the strings & the fingerboard was aking to the grand canyon-at least that's what it felt like. If the guitar you are playing is small, do you have the same problems if you play your other one?
I like the stretching & light strings Ebbie mentioned. Do you play when you are tired or just before going to bed? Maybe you need to relax for awhile after playing-or do stretches/flexes after playing, too. Try a variety of things, & see what works & what doesn't. Let us know how things are going!