IPod nano keeps pausing

My iPod nano keeps pausing the music whenever the screen dims and locks. When I plug my apple earphones (old and new) into my iPod, it seems as if it won't plug in all the way. You can see a thin line of silver outside still. I looked inside the hole with a flashlight and everything seemed fine, nothing unusual. I also tried pushing the earphones in really hard multiple times until my fingers started to bruise. Nothing has worked for me unlike the others who have had this problem. I restored my iPod and spent all day downloading music. At this point I don't want to restore it again and have all those hours of eye-straining work go to waste. Is there anything else I can do? I was thinking about setting an appointment at an Apple Store but I was afraid they might just tell me to restore it. Any suggestions?